I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in over a year. Something lurks in the shadowy corners of my room, watching me, waiting till I fall asleep to slip under the cold covers with me.
It all started last year. News of a homicide on my block fascinated me. As a stretcher-bearer, I’ve seen my fair share of corpses and shooting victims. Yet, even though I live in the city, my neighborhood is uncommonly peaceful. I mean the murder happened right around the corner from my apartment; in a back alley, where I usually walk to catch the bus.
There was nothing too ominous about it when I checked out the alley the next day. Save for the large dusty red stain marking where the corpse had lain. I stood there for a few seconds, trying to imagine the wanton shooting of a vile thug. As I stepped on the dried crimson puddle, a man who had been watching me from a balcony afar, shook his head disapprovingly. I paid him no mind and headed to work. The rest of my day went by in a flash; we were overloaded at the hospital. When I got home, I immediately hopped in bed and dozed off. I was known for being a fast sleeper back then.
But on that freezing night in late fall, I woke up in horror, striving to catch my breath as I caught glimpse of a giant buzzing fly squatting on my chest. For half a second, stuck between sleep and wakefulness, the bristly green shape was trying to suck me like a milkshake. Its giant insect eyes menaced to siphon me dry. I struggled to get up, struggled to breathe. I lay paralyzed and terrified. And in a blink, the apparition vanished. I got up; the room was freezing cold. I turned on the lights, convinced I’d have to fight for my life that very night. Little did I know this would turn into a whole year.
From then on, I’ve stayed awake till ungodly hours, wary of the slightest noise. Just when I think the coast is clear, and try falling asleep, I catch him skulking in the shadows. Sometimes he appears as an angry hag, screaming, ready to pounce at me. Sometimes it’s a man, broad with a chest thicker than a tombstone. He’ll come dressed in a long black coat. His jet-black hair and grubby white skin pierce the night while his angry red eyes glare, blighting my sleep. I find no respite for my nightmare has now taken over my days. I can’t afford to fall asleep. Working in a hospital, my immune system has taken a severe hit. It feels like I’ve caught every flu known to man. And I feel him following me everywhere I go. Whispering sickly things I cannot comprehend.
It’s like he’s trying to take over. Like every time I fall asleep, he’s inching closer to his true purpose. People have told me to pray. Too bad I stopped believing in god.